From GATHERING VOLUMES
The 2017 Independent Bookstore Day marks its third year of celebrating independent bookstores nationwide on Saturday, April 29th, with literary parties around the country. 450 Independent Bookstores nationwide will be participating in Independent Bookstore day on April 29, 2017.
Gathering Volumes bookstore in Perrysburg will be hosting a local author event as well as additional activities for Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 29. The event will host multiple authors both inside and outside of the store, live musical acts , children’s activities, The Glass City Mashers will be offering samples of beer brewed locally, and Mom’s Mobile Mission. The Glass City Mashers are a beer, mead, and cider homebrewing club of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, formed in 2011. The non-profit organization looks to find ways to raise awareness for homebrewed and craft beer along with helping other charities in Northwest Ohio. They will be offering samples of beer brewed locally. Mom’s Mobile Mission is a nonprofit Organization helping those in need in the Perrysburg Height and surrounding area. They will be collecting non-perishable food during the event.
“Gathering Volumes will open an hour early, at 10 am, for a special Elephant & Piggie story time, coffee, tea, and doughnuts. The store will also stay open late for Literary Trivia and snacks from 7 to 9 pm. Additionally, multiple food trucks have been invited to attend the outdoor author event from 10 am to 4 pm including Displaced Chef, whose brick-and-mortar restaurant is located in the Shoppes at South Boundary a few doors down from Gathering Volumes. Finally, the store will have special deals and give-aways all day long including Go Fish cards with popular children’s book authors, and a signed short story by Michael Chabon,” says Denise Phillips, owner of Gathering Volumes. “Since its inception in 2014, more than 120 authors have demonstrated their support for independent bookstores by donating work for Bookstore Day. We are excited to be offering work by Michael Chabon and Rainbow Rowell on April 29 and are also equally excited to help introduce the community to a large number of local authors. Part of our mission as an independent bookstore is to introduce our customers to authors they may not discover elsewhere, including the highly talented local authors in the area.”
Independent Bookstore day was first celebrated in California in 2014. In 2015 it went national and 2016 saw over 400 bookstores participating. Independent Bookstore day is a chance to not only pick up some of the special limited edition stock, but also a chance to meet many local authors, other book enthusiasts, and great new books! Limited-edition books and exclusive day-of merchandise are created especially for Independent Bookstore Day by major publishers and authors and will be available on April 29 only. Items will be in store starting on April 15, but will not be available for sale until April 29 and will only be available until stock runs out.
At Gathering Volumes on April 29 there will be authors in the bookstore and in the parking lot of the Shoppes at South Boundary from 10 am to 4 pm. Inside the store there will also be activities such as a literary photo booth, create your own Little Golden Book, an Other People’s Poetry event, and a Go Fish playing area. Outside in the parking lot, along with authors signing their books, food trucks will be selling food, and live musicians will be performing. All outdoor events will be delayed until April 30 in the case of bad weather on April 29. Keep an eye on Gathering Volumes Facebook page for updates if bad weather is predicted for April 29.
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BOOK SIGNING: The following authors (and more) will be participating in the signing event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 at Gathering Volumes in Perrysburg, 196 E. South Boundary St.
Sandra Hults is an author, a wife, a mom, a coffee lover, and a part-time knitter who loves to cook. Creativity comes to her through different mediums and she finds joy in each activity but her true passion is writing. Every author’s perhaps favorite, and least favorite, question is “what inspires you?” This question is closely followed by “What do you write about?” Music is her biggest inspiration. Songs will come on the radio and she gets almost a visual snapshot of a scene for her books. They are a blend of politics, romance, fantasy, and faith. In her mind a good book series touches on multiple genres to entrance and keep a reader coming back for more.
Jim Mollenkopf is a Toledo author and photographer who focuses on things close to home. From the history of the Great Black Swamp to the quiet beauty of northwest Ohio’s parks and nature preserves, Jim tells stories in words and photographs.
Kerry Trautman lives in small town Ohio. She is a poetry editor at Red Fez, and is a founder of ToledoPoet.com and the “Toledo Poetry Museum” page on Facebook. Kerry participates in poetry readings and events such as Artomatic 419, 100-Thousand Poets for Change, Back to Jack, and the Columbus Arts Festival. Her work has appeared in various journals, including Midwestern Gothic, Alimentum, The Coe Review, Think Journal, and Third Wednesday; as well as in anthologies such as, Mourning Sickness (Omniarts, 2008), and Delirious: a Poetic Celebration of Prince (NightBallet Press, 2016.) Her chapbooks are, Things That Come in Boxes (King Craft Press, 2012,) and To Have Hoped (Finishing Line Press, 2015.) Her chapbook Artifacts, is forthcoming from NightBallet Press in 2017.
Cassandra Morgan is the author of the YA Fantasy series, Chartile, the first book in the series being Prophecy. The second book in the Chartile series, Magic is in production, and she is putting the finishing touches on her first Mystery novella. She is a proponent for helping teen writers and educating about the self-publishing journey.
S. Hardy was first published at the age of sixteen and since then approaching the number two thousand are the poems, short stories, and essays that have appeared in literary journals throughout the U.S. and abroad. Larger works include a picture book entitled “Her Best Trick or Treat, Ever,” two short story collections, “Weaving the Light” and “The Scream” which have led him to be compared to Poe, Bradbury, and the Brother’s Grimm, and a poetry collection “Natural History” that was fully illustrated by the award winning photographer, Jeffrey Stoner. He lives in a historic Sears and Roebuck house in Cygnet, Ohio.
Lawrence Coates has published five books, most recently The Goodbye House, a novel set amid the housing tracts of San Jose in the aftermath of the first dot com bust and the attacks of 9/11, and Camp Olvido, a novella set in a labor camp in California’s Great Central Valley. His work has been recognized with the Western States Book Award in Fiction, the Donald Barthelme Prize in Short Prose, the Miami University Press Novella Prize, an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction. He currently teaches Literature and Creative Writing at Bowling Green State University.
Working in the steel processing business for almost fourteen years, Laurence A. St. John ’s place of employment changed hands for the third time in 2006. In the same year his first granddaughter was born which he described as one of the most uplifting moments of his life. It was during this time when he became determined to write his penned-up thoughts on paper. Three and a half years later he had written his first manuscript, Metatron-The Angel Has Risen which was published in 2012. His second novel in the series Metatron-The Mystical Blade was published in 2014. The third book in the series Metatron-Black Shadow’s Revenge is slated to be published summer/fall of 2017. Mr. St. John currently lives in Northwood Ohio with his wife of 27 years, Julie.
Author Kelly Jean Lietaert has an early childhood degree and has always loved writing. She enjoys strong coffee, loud music and laughing with her family. Married for 20 years to her prince charming, you can find her in Michigan caring for their four active kids and two lazy cats. Kelly loves speaking to both children and adults, and enjoys sharing her journey as an author with others. She is excitedly working on her next children’s book, which will be available soon!
A.S. Coomer is a writer, musician and native Kentuckian currently serving out a purgatorial existence somewhere in the arctic midwest. His work has appeared in over forty literary journals, magazines, anthologies and the like. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize three times in 2016. His debut novel, Rush’s Deal (Hammer & Anvil Books), came out December 11th, 2016. The Fetishists, his second novel, will be published on March 20th, 2017 by Grindhouse Press. He’s a fiction editor at Red Fez. You can find him at www.ascoomer.com. He also runs Lost, Long Gone, Forgotten Records, a “record label” exclusively for poetry.
Peris DeVohn Edwards raised in the inner-city of Toledo, Ohio, a former college football Division I Athlete. Attended Miami University and a 2010 Graduate with a Bachelor’s in Family Studies. After his dream of playing in the NFL didn’t go as planned he was at his lowest point in his life. It was through this temporary defeat that he discovered his greatest strength and true passion for inspiring others with his testimony. Now employed full-time with Toledo Fire and Rescue, Toledo Public Schools Substitute Teacher, Motivational Speaker, Mentor and Author he has numerous ways to spread his gift. His first published writing was in 2015 Chicken Soup For the Soul “Think Possible” version. He plans to change the world one day at time using his blessings to bless others. He believes that serving others is the greatest blessing there is and by doing so you attract what you give. He has dedicated his life to live by his own motto “become more to give more”.
Originally from Erie Pennsylvania, Keith Julius has lived in the Toledo Ohio area since 1982, where he and his wife raised their two boys. The children live now in Missouri and Kansas while Keith and Colleen reside just north of Toledo, across the border in Southern Michigan.
Terry James was born and raised in Northwest Ohio. Throughout his life he had always dreamed of becoming a writer and following in the foot steps of some of his favorites such as Douglas Adams. It wasn’t until 2013 when he finally decided to make that dream come true with the release of his first title, “Tabloid Tabby Book 1: The Hunchback of Erie County High School”. Though the book connected and was loved by those that read it, ongoing disputes between him and publisher, American Star Books, began to take a toll and the project was all but nearly abandoned. When Terry James finally was able to sever his ties with the publisher, James re-edited the work, added some additional content, revamped the cover and title, and re-released the book under the new, improved, and appropriate title, “Tabby and The Hunchback of Eerie County High”. Since then he has published three additional books of the series, and a collection of anthology contributions/short stories/drabbles. When not writing, James is a employee of the United States Postal Service. He is married to his lovely wife, Robin, and has 5 children: Shelbi, Dallas, Paige, Kailee, and Addy. He is still a big reader who enjoys books by fellow authors Andy Peloquin, Jim Beard, and Tom Lambert. He is also a huge Star Wars fan, loves Disney animated movies, and Japanese Anime.
Kevin Rice is a self published author who writes Christian love stories. He has two titles to his name, Megan’s Rose and Fading Blue Skies. Kevin is also a landscape photographer. In his stories and photos, he tries to capture the beauty and simplicity of God’s love that surrounds us every day. He has traveled extensively throughout the US and believes that no matter he visited, there was always something beautiful to see. Kevin currently lives with his family in Northwest Ohio. His books and photos reflect his inspiration from that area.
Terence O’Leary, an Irish-American author of four novels, was born in Chicago, Illinois, but has spent his teenage and adult life in Northwest Ohio. O’Leary’s critically acclaimed realistic coming-of-age stories focus on teenagers facing a family crisis. His latest novel, Irish Crossings, is a story of love, partings and new beginnings in the time of the Irish Potato Famine.
Joshua McDowell is a single father on a mission. He believes being a parent is the most rewarding experience in the world. For that reason, he wants you to help him change the family court system. Each year, millions of children grow up in fatherless homes, yet each child wants, needs, and deserves to grow up with a strong relationship with both parents. In “Accidental Dad,” McDowell talks frankly about his own fatherless childhood.
Theresa Konwinski published her first book, “An Extraordinary Year,” at the end of 2016. Prior to that, Theresa spent 42 years in the nursing profession. She received a doctorate in nursing practice from The Ohio State University in 2014. After retiring from St. Luke’s Hospital in 2013, she taught at Lourdes University until the end of 2016. Theresa is married to her best friend, Frank, and together they have two adult children; Aaron, who plays guitar for Not What You Think as well as The Audiophiles, and Amy, who is a hairdresser at Mosaic Salon. Theresa’s second novel is currently in re-writes, and her third novel is in development.
Tom Lambert is a semi-retired carpenter/cabinet maker and a proud father of three grown sons. Lambert currently resides in Bowling Green, Ohio, with his wife, Beth, a shelter dog named Cali, three rescue cats, and a modest mortgage.
Kevin D. Hoffman‘s book “Growing Up Black in White” is a moving and sometimes humorous look into the life of one man with a fascinating past. Born into the racially-charged Detroit of 1967 to a white mother and a black father, the author was placed into foster care and then adopted by a white minister and his wife, the parents of three biological children. Hofmann’s memoir reveals the racial tensions, the difficulties of feeling neither black nor white, his family’s loving support, and his struggles to define and embrace his own identity as he grew to be a man. This is a story of hope and promise, and how we are able to define ourselves not through the racism and judgments of a challenging society, but through our own sense of self-respect and personal identity. Kevin Hofmann came to this memoir after a lifetime of contemplation and self-analysis. After attending a national conference on adoption, he found his voice and wove it into this emotional and often amusing story. Hofmann lives with his wife and two sons in Toledo, Ohio.
